Boxer Tony Yoka wants to "bounce back with style" on Saturday against Carlos Takam ten months after his first failure

Europe 1 with AFP 9:23 p.m., March 10, 2023

Ten months after suffering the first defeat of his career, Tony Yoka returns to the rings on Saturday in Paris, where he faces veteran Carlos Takam to finally "mourn" this setback and demonstrate his ability to "bounce back".

"I'm keen to come back with a great victory. Not just a victory, but a victory with style," said the French heavyweight when putting on the gloves.

"I can't wait to rebox. I want to show that I worked, that I had a defeat, of course, but that I can bounce back from that."

At 30, the 2016 Olympic champion, who now has a professional record of 11 wins in 12 fights, still believes in the title of world champion, even if his defeat on points ten months ago against the Congolese Martin Bakole had marked a big setback in his conquest of the heights of boxing.

At Bercy, on May 14, Yoka was overtaken by the power of his opponent after kneeling on the ground in the first round.

Fallen from his pedestal, the hero of the Rio Olympics has kept a low profile, cutting with sport time to rebuild.

He claims today to have "completely digested" this defeat.

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"It will hurt !"

To start again, Yoka could have chosen an opponent with a modest pedigree, but it is against the experienced Carlos Takam, (39 wins for 7 losses and a draw) that he will appear in the Zénith ring. .

"I didn't want to come back with a small fight. I wanted to come back with a strong fight and I think that's the case."

At 42, Takam remains on two defeats, one on points against the Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov last September, and a loss against the Englishman Joe Joyce by stoppage of the referee on the 6th recovery, in July 2021. But before that , the native of Douala in Cameroon has fought the gratin of the category, from Anthony Joshua to Alexander Povetkin or Joe Joyce, and he still represents a reference and a danger for his opponents.

"I'm going to tire him out the little youngster, he thinks the old lion is finished? No I'm still here," Takam promised during the pre-fight press conference.

"The veteran, he's still young in spirit and that's going to hurt."

The two men know each other well since Yoka served as Takam's sparring partner for a long time before turning professional.

"Tony often says 'Carlos, he's my big brother'. I respect that but in the ring, I'm not going to take him as a little brother, I'll take him as an opponent", he assures.

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"Boxing morning, noon and evening"

What scenario can we expect for their fight on Saturday?

"Oh my God, it's going to be beautiful, I swear. It's going to be spectacular," promises Takam.

"It's going to box, it's going to kick, it's going to scream, it's going to bleed. It's going to be a great game, I'm sure of it."

"I really want people to remember this fight, for people to say 'We still want more'", adds the Franco-Cameroonian, weighed at 117.6 kg, who explains that he has prepared for this meeting. you based on "boxing, physical preparation and meditation".

For his part, Yoka (113.9 kg) left for four months on a commando course in Las Vegas, far from the "small distractions" of Parisian life, under the orders of his American trainer Virgil Hunter.

"Four months in the United States, it's not fun," he explains.

"Four months of eating boxing morning, noon and night. It's very hard for the body and for the mind. It's hard but we have to go through it. The motivation and the determination that we can have in a fight, you draw it from those moments."